Owen River Lodge Murchison

... We left after lunch, stopping off at a bakery and bought some little biscuits that were designated Sophie's birthday cakes!
Our first proper stop was the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks. It still wasn't amazing weather - the west coast is definitely rainier then the east - but we went on a loop walk to see them. The first few rocks we came to weren't that impressive but that soon changed. There were some huge stacks ...

... a creek. Brilliant! Afterwards we drove up to Picton- not a great town but a good place for getting to some of the places we wanted to go! On the way I had my first encounter with the New Zealand police and got a speeding ticket! Luckily only a small fine as I wasn't going too fast! The next day we took out a motor boat on the Kanipuru sound- we surfed in the wake of a musssel harvester and saw blue penguins. It was just the two of us in the boat and we had a blast ...

... hear is the birds singing and the dogs barking The hosts are both out at work so i explore the place alittle wait for them to arrive. It takes a few days to get to know Bill and Leuti Jackson but after that i feel like one of the family, the food all came from the farm and it was amazing. They even make there own bread which is timed for first thing in the morning and what a smell it is!!! I am involved with tasks like painting, constructing ...

... the beech forests here have a rounder, sweeter scent that's almost heavy and drowsy. Actually the air mixed with the hum of insects and the flute-like calls of the bellbird and tui, one can become quite drowsy, especially after tramping. The forest puts me in mind of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Internet time is running out. Will update later this evening! Okay, so I didn't get back because everything closes in St. Arnaud at 6 and I didn't get more $2 coins. Sorry ...

... We were handed the keys to Neil (who is a modified Toyota Lucida) with all the necessaries squeezed into every available space - the only thing it really lacks are a toilet and shower. We had been advised that they weren't necessary, but we would disagree as they allow you to freedom camp! Luckily Neil is small and agile, although loves petrol! Finally after lunch by the stream with the Copeland's we tore ourselves away and headed for ...

Said goodbye to the red wagon today and jumped on the ferry to South Island. Lovely day, calm seas and as soon as we got round the headland and out of Wellington Harbour there was the South Island. As we entered the inlets we saw a couple of seals. Ashore and collected our bags, which had been checked in airport style before embarking, then Budget tried to rent us a Rav 4. Rejected it and requested another Outlander, not as high spec, but ...

... a long drive but thank god we did stop. The Pancake Rocks are so called because with the constant battering of violent waves against the limestone rocks, the consequences are a gradual breakdown of the rocks which reveals the bizarre way they have formed: a layering like process as if a million pancakes were piled up haphazardly on a plate! Apparently, this layering-like process is called Stylobedding and they're one of the geological mysteries no-one has a decent theory for. They ...

... terug op de juiste route. Hoewel we door de bebossing toch even in het donker liepen hebben we niet onze zaklantaarns hoeven gebruiken. Tegen 18:45 terug bij de hostel waar we de bagage hebben opgehaald en hier nog een nacht hebben geslapen. Vrijdag 30 Mei De twee anderen vervolgen hun weg vandaag. Ik ga vandaag ook richting Blenheim maar mijn charter uit St Arnaud vertrekt pas om 19:00 dus heb ik nog ...

... did, and I got to really lay back and enjoy the trip. The Lewis pass was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't nearly as windy and tight as I thought it would be. Perhaps I am let down because I keep expecting to be treated to something like the Rimatakas, but there is nothing that really compares to the old R-Hill road. One thing I really did like was after the Lewis pass, the road weaved its way through some native forest. I had ...

... owner he feels he can't really be seen in a massive Humvee but rather likes the idea... The races turned out to be 'trots', i.e. the horse wears things which keep its gait to a fast trot and the human half of the team is not on board, but riding behind in a lightweight cart which I am reliably informed is called a sulky. As the minimum bet was a dollar we decided it was worth a go - thought we had it in the third race until our horse ...